


Lion in the Room

by grahammar_hammer



Series: Lion in the Room [1]
Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-02
Updated: 2017-06-18
Packaged: 2018-11-08 01:54:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11071605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grahammar_hammer/pseuds/grahammar_hammer





	1. Chapter 1

Someone was in the house. She could _feel_ it. She passed that line from feeling to _knowing_ as she unlocked her desk drawer and pulled out her gun.

 

She was not prepared for what she found in the den: Will Graham, leaning casually against the bookcase, a wicked, though healing slash across his right cheek. Alana lowered the gun, but did not relax her grip.

 

"Will? Oh my god. What happened to you?"

 

Will sighed and straightened, though he made no attempt to come closer. "The Dragon tried to change me."

 

"Everyone thinks he did more than try," Alan said cautiously.

 

Will's mouth quirked into a semblance of a smile and he nodded. "I'm guessing that's why you and Margot have let your guard down enough to return to Muskrat Farms."

 

Alana felt a chill then, and now that the shock of seeing Will had worn off, she took in the rest of his appearance. His unruly curls had been clipped and tamed. He was dressed in a  fine, well-tailored suit in a muted grey over a burgundy button-down, open at the collar. Nothing about the clothing spoke of Will; as tame as the color scheme, she knew he had not picked the suit out for himself. Alana raised her gun again, and Will remained relaxed in his stance, his gaze steady, and something like amusement passed over his face.

 

"Where is he?" Alana hissed emphatically.

 

"Put the gun down, Alana," Will replied, his tone indulgent, though reprimanding.

 

"Where is he, Will?" Alana repeated, her voice rising in fear and frustration.

 

"Right behind you," Will answered casually, his eyes flickering over Alana's shoulder.

 

Before she could turn, a strong arm came around her throat and a hand seized the gun, fingers blocking the hammer as she pulled the trigger in vain.

 

"You tried to shoot me," Will said in mock surprise. "And here I was, thinking I was dropping in on an old friend. Thank you for the enlightenment, Alana. It will make this much easier."

 

The arm around her throat tightened, and her grip on the gun loosened as she slowly fell into blackness.


	2. Chapter 2

Alana awoke tied to a chair at her dining table, the knots too tight to allow struggle.

  
Will was seated next to her, his hands folded on the tabletop, watching her intently as she roused.

"Welcome back," he said dryly. "Are you coherent enough to listen to reason?"

"Reason?" Alana choked out. "What about any of this is reasonable?"

"I think it's fairly reasonable that you're not dead, considering you're in a room with a man who promised to kill you."

Alana cast her eyes about the room to find Hannibal standing where Will had been, perusing the bookshelf. He selected a large volume and sat down in an armchair turned to face the activities in the dining room. He crossed his legs at the knee and began to read, no even glancing her way.

"What is this, Will?" She turned back to him, imploring with tears in her eyes. "What has he done to you?"

"Many things," Will said cryptically. "Which is why the Dragon failed to change me. I was already changed."

"This isn't you, Will," Alana pleaded, desperate for it to be true as she stared into Will's dead eyes, the pupil's blown impossibly wide.

"Oh, yes, it is," he crooned. "I've just taken off the mask."

"He's given you something," she tried. "You're not yourself."

Will snorted, his tone becoming angry, irritated. "You're not hearing me, Alana."

"Your pupils are enormous, Will. You're behaving erratically. It's indicative of some psychoactive drug."

"Aw, come now, Dr. Bloom. Surely you know there are many physiological factors that can account for blown-out pupils. Trust me, in this moment, I am more myself than you have ever seen me."

Alana shuddered and looked away, no longer able to keep Will's intense gaze, focusing now on Hannibal, still in the chair, but the book was now open on his knee. His chin was propped in his hand as he gazed fondly at Will.

"Don't look at him," Will snarled. "Look at me. You're so focused on the lion in the room that you're missing the danger right in front of you."

Alana snapped her attention back to Will.

"What does that mean?" she asked softly. "Will, what are you going to do?"

"What I've always done," Will snapped. "Save lives."

"So you're not going to kill me?"

"I bought your debt, Alana. As long as you agree to the terms, no one will die tonight."

"My debt?" Alana asked, not allowing hope to creep into her voice. She had not missed the clarification at the end of that sentence. No one would die _tonight_. That did not mean no one would die _at all_.

"The life you owe," Will said. "That he promised to take. He keeps his promises, Alana."

When Alana didn't reply, Will continued, propping his chin in his hand as he regarded her, unconsciously mirroring Hannibal without being able to see him. The synchronicity was eerie, terrifying. "It was a tough negotiation. Once I talked him into sparing your life, he wanted to compromise by taking your eyes."

_Be blind, Alana. Don't be brave._

Alana shuddered again, her throat constricting as she choked out a sob.

Will sighed. "I'm sorry, Alana. He won't be taking your eyes, but you will not leave this unmarked."

"What about Margot? My son?" Alana rasped, breaking on desperation.

"Ah! Now that's where it gets fun. You have the opportunity to trade a debt for a debt. We need you track down Bedelia du Maurier. We can't seem to find her, and you have the resources. Find her, flush her out, leave her to us, and your wife and son are safe. However, if you bring in Jack Crawford, Freddie Lounds, the FBI...anyone...in on the deal, he will kill them. All of them, including your family. And I... _will help him_."

"Why are you doing this?" Alana sobbed. "Why not just turn him in? After all he's done...I can get help for you, Will. You don't need to become a monster."

Will snarled and slammed his fist onto the table, his eyes shifting toward rage. Alana flinched.

"Will," Hannibal intoned, an admonishment, and Alana was started by that as much as she was by Will's outburst. Will slanted his eyes in Hannibal's direction, but didn't turn to look at him. He took a deep breath, his composure clicking back into place so quickly it was scary.

"I haven't become anything," Will said calmly, his voice now soft, conversational. "I've always been a monster. What I'm wondering is why you think locking either of us in a cage will change anything. You've seen what we're both capable of, even behind bars. We can't be tamed, and we can't be saved, no matter what tactic you profess to apply."

"Letting Hannibal go free won't save lives, Will. He may indulge you now, but it's not going to last."

"How would you know, Alana?" Will's voice was low and deadly. "You think you've seen him? Seen me? You've only seen the versions you've been allowed to see. What's really there, only he and I know."

"What did you promise him?" Alana whispered, not sure she wanted to know.

"A life for a life. You owed him yours, I offered him mine. Even Steven."

"When he kills you, what will keep him at his word?"

"Kill me?" Will cackled. "He doesn't want to kill me. He likes me alive. I'm more interesting that way."

"So you've agreed to be his protege?"

"You have no place on the moral high ground, Alana. I know what happened to Mason."

Alana looked away, but not at Hannibal. She figured he would be gloating, and the thought set her teeth on edge.

"Before you attempt to otherwise dissect my relationship, let's get back to the reason we're here." Will used two fingers to tilt her chin back in his direction, and Alana flinched so violently that she felt a twinge in her neck. Will took his hand away, something like remorse flashing behind his eyes for a second, then dying just as quickly. "Do you agree to our terms?"

"Yes, I agree," Alana said petulantly. "Of course I agree. How could I not?"

"That's the answer I expected. I appreciate your cooperation." Will turned for the first time and addressed Hannibal, his mouth pressed in a grim line. "I know you like to savor, but can you do it quickly? I'd rather not watch her suffer."

"What does that mean? I agreed to your terms!" Alana shouted, terror flooding anew in her veins as she tried to struggle against her bonds. The knots held fast. Will was a good fisherman.

"Yes," Will answered, placating, though sad. "And I told you that you wouldn't leave unmarked."

"Will..." she said shrilly. "Don't do this."

"I'm not doing anything. I saved your life and your eyes, be grateful I accomplished that much."

Will moved to the other side of the table, and Hannibal took his place.

"Hello again, Alana," he said pleasantly. "It's good to see you."

"The feeling is less than mutual," Alana spat, though her jaw trembled at Hannibal's proximity.

"Don't be rude, Alana," Will advised. "Antagonize him, and there's only so much my influence can do."

Alana closed her eyes and sobbed out a laugh. "Trust me, Will...this influence you think you have is only an illusion."

"Trust me," Will hissed, lunging over the table and grabbing a handful of her hair. "You have no fucking idea."


	3. Chapter 3

"What are you going to do to me?" Alana demanded, finally allowing herself to look at Hannibal. This only resulted in Will's fingers tightening painfully in her hair until she returned her gaze to him.

Will's eyes were unsettled, but his anger at her words locked down his better self, twisting his fist until her roots screamed against her scalp, threatening to rip free.

"You were never meant to survive my kitchen, Alana," Hannibal answered. "That you did is remarkable. Even remarkable still that you regained your ability to walk. I intend to take that away from you. Permanently."

Alana's mind spun, imagining a life dependent on Margot's assistance, another Mason, unable to run after their son as he sped gleefully through the stables and out into the yard. "Will...please...don't let him damage my life."

Will didn't move. His eyes remained unsettled, but he didn't move, even as Hannibal began to swab her inner arm with an alcohol pad.

"I'm going to administer a paralytic," Hannibal told her clinically. "I need you perfectly still for this procedure to achieve the desired effect."

She felt the sting of a needle, once again imploring Will with her eyes.

"There now," Hannibal purred. "Give that a moment."

Will's eyes flickered, his jaw working against his obvious disapproval of Hannibal's cruelty. He kept Alana's gaze until she felt herself go hazy, then released her hair and turned away.

"It's taken effect," Will growled out, his voice grating like tooth on stone. "Hurry up and get this over with."

Alana heard the flick of a knife and fought back a scream as the tip pressed against the base of her spine.

"This will hurt, Alana," Hannibal told her in that same clinical tone, and Alana wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it.

The knife pressed in further, drawing a small seep of blood, warm and wet against her skin. She would not scream. She would not give him the satisfaction. Instead, she looked to Will, who was facing away, his jaw clenched, his hair falling over his eyes so she could not read his expression. This, she comforted herself, was the Will she knew, the Will she had once loved. He was in there, somewhere, beneath the monster, and she took solace in that, even if he would not come to her aid. The monster was stronger, and the monster who made him was stronger still.

"I forgive you, Will," she whispered, and Will's fingers twitched on the tabletop, digging nails into wood, splinters drawing blood beneath his fingertips. Several seconds passed, and the blade did not drive any deeper.

"It would appear, Alana," Hannibal intoned. "That you owe Will another debt. Perhaps it will be he who forgives you."

Abruptly, the knife left her flesh, and Hannibal set it on the table, blade still out and red with Alana's blood. He pushed it toward Will, who was now regarding him with almost outraged confusion.

"What are you doing?" Will demanded.

Alana was almost hyperventilating, wanting to feel relieved, but unconvinced this wasn't one of Hannibal's cruel games.

"You don't want this, Will. I will derive no satisfaction from your discomfort." Before Will could respond, Hannibal turned his attention back to Alana. "The paralytic will wear off in a few hours. Your gun is on the mantel."

Will's outrage bled into relief, but like Alana, he seemed unwilling to believe it as he lowered his eyes, calculating, looking for the sharp angle Hannibal was attempting to skewer them with. Hannibal moved into her line of vision as he approached Will, lifting a hand to his cheek and brushing it with the side of his thumb. Will's eyelashes fluttered, and to Alana's shock, he leaned into that hand, but only for a second, before he jerked away, his face sullen and tinged with what might have been shame. Hannibal smirked. Will glared at him and snatched up the pocket knife, folding and shoving it into his pocket. Alana noted with a shudder that he had not wiped the blade clean of her blood.

Will deftly untied the knots that bound Alana to the chair, and Hannibal lifted her over his shoulder. She whimpered, her heart ratcheting back up as a slice of fear shot through her chest. This was a game after all. They intended to kill her...

She was carefully laid across the sofa in the den, on her side in case she became sick from the paralytic. At least she wouldn't choke to death on her own vomit. But then Hannibal was draping a throw blanket over her as Will brought a glass of water and set it on a table nearby.

"We'll be in touch, Alana," Will said gruffly, though he wouldn't look at her. Hannibal did not share his reluctance and gave Alana one of his pleased, barely there smiles. He winked, and Alana had to stop herself from groaning aloud. Will noticed the exchange and grabbed Hannibal roughly by the wrist and started tugging him out of the room. Before they were completely out of earshot, she heard will hiss, "You are unbelievable."


End file.
